Anna Griffis, viola
Equally at home on steel and gut strings, violist/violinist Anna Griffis keeps herself busy as a performer, teacher, and administrator. Her playing has taken her to Mexico, Turkey, Austria, Slovenia, Czechia, Taiwan, and across North America and she's performed at the Kennedy Center, Dumbarton Oaks (Washington, DC), Boston's Symphony Hall, Smetana Hall (Prague), and Carnegie Hall. Anna is a member of the New Bedford Symphony (principal) and the Albany Symphony and performs regularly with the Portland Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Emmanuel Music, Blue Heron, Les Bostonades, Odyssey Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. She co-founded Chicago-based Trio Speranza, prize winners at the Early Music American Baroque Competition, and performs with and is executive director of the new music group Ludovico Ensemble. Anna studied at Lawrence University, The Hartt School of Music, Tanglewood Music Center, and Boston University. She teaches and coaches chamber music at The New School of Music (Cambridge) and Tufts University, and is an affiliate artist in the Emerson/Harris program at MIT. In addition to her playing and teaching, she oversees communications for the Tufts Music Department and is a freelance graphic designer specializing in concert programs and publications. Originally from Annapolis, MD, Anna is the proud product of her public school music program. She now lives in the great neighborhood of Lower Allston with her bassoonist husband and their cat, Pig. She gets excited about fonts, road trips, and diners.